Brooklyn point guard Deron Williams has been a shell of his former self since getting dealt from Utah to NJ/Brooklyn towards the end of the 2010-11 season. But he feels “a lot more confident” coming into the 2014-15 season and his teammates back up his positive self-assessment.
D-Will started in just 58 games last season and missed 18 games total. He averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 assists in 32.2 minutes per game. Those were his lowest averages since he was a rookie in Utah, trying not to piss off Jerry Sloan.
It’s hard to remember for some, but there was a D-Will – Chris Paul debate a few years back, and there were a lot of people who would have taken Williams over CP3. A lots changed since then, obviously, with Deron’s ankles resembling those of a geriatric over the last two seasons. But D-Will is purportedly healthy, now, crossing up opponents and telling Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York he’s finally feeling healthy and with that comes a lot more confident:
“Everybody’s pretty much written me off,” Williams told the team’s official website. “People say I’m never gonna be like I once was. I’m on the downhill. And so what pressure do I have?”
[…]
Williams finally feels healthy for the first time in three seasons after undergoing offseason surgery to clean out both of his oft-injured ankles.
“I’m a lot more confident,” Williams said. “I just didn’t have a lot of confidence in my ankles (the last two seasons). They wouldn’t allow me to do the things I was capable of doing…
“I’m just playing, man,” Williams said Tuesday. “I can actually play. I can actually run, cut, jump, so it’s different.”
“He’s been, not just verbal, but you can tell he’s got a little bit of an edge this year,” Kevin Garnett told NBA.com. “I’m hoping that can stay consistent throughout the year. He has the looks of a man who’s out to prove something.”
We’ll see, since its been a few years since he’s wow’d us on the court. Then again, he showed flashes of brilliance like this in the preseason:
The Nets are in Boston on Wednesday to open their season, and the pesky defense of Avery Bradley and rookie Marcus Smart could be a good test case for D-Will’s health. Then again, if Rajon Rondo suits up — we’ll know around “nap-time” – it could get really interesting. Both players have something to prove after injuries limited them for large portions of last season.
(H/T PBT)
Will the old D-Will stand up this season?
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